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Today's Playbook Power Briefing presented by PhRMA

By ANNA PALMER (anna@politico.com; @apalmerdc), JAKE SHERMAN (sherman@politico.com; @JakeSherman), DANIEL LIPPMAN (daniel@politico.com; @dlippman) and ZACH MONTELLARO (zmontellaro@politico.com; @ZachMontellaro)


Good Wednesday afternoon. GO OUTSIDE IMMEDIATELY -- Playbook's chief meteorologist STEVE SHEPARD: "It's 76 degrees in Washington at noon. The average high temperature for today is 49 degrees. It's more like the week after Memorial Day, when the average high is around 80, than the week after Presidents Day.

"Sorry, it won't last. It turns rainy and much cooler tomorrow -- temperatures will plunge during the day, and it will only be in the 40s for the P.M. commute. Rain continues into Friday. And it looks like a rainy weekend, too. The sun returns just in time for the start of the workweek, with high temperatures in the 50s."

THE BIG NEWS ... BILLY GRAHAM DEAD AT 99 -- David Cohen: "The Rev. Billy Graham, one of the most influential religious figures in U.S. history and a trusted adviser to decades of U.S. presidents, has died, according to the Associated Press. He was 99.

"For decades starting with Harry Truman, Graham would be seen at the side of U.S. presidents as he served as a valued counselor, during both their brightest days and their sleepless nights. 'People in power have spiritual and personal needs like everyone else, and often they have no one to talk to,' the evangelist said in 2011." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a258767ea828eb0ed1d6a29b3712588fa5e26436da658771472af2c496b6375aa41b526df146a22ee

-- THE PAPER OF RECORD, LAURIE GOODSTEIN: "The Rev. Billy Graham, a North Carolina farmer's son who preached to millions in stadium events he called crusades, becoming a pastor to presidents and the nation's best-known Christian evangelist for more than 60 years, died on Wednesday at his home in Montreat, N.C. He was 99." Note at the end of the NYT story: "Albin Krebs, a Times obituary writer who died in 2002, contributed reporting." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a2e23aa858017b0bd3e9785d147acf6a404e84730fd4cc17befc0ce8dac472d00efad73c120d508be

-- THE REACTION ... "Trump, lawmakers mourn passing of religious icon Billy Graham," by Cristiano Lima http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4ae14427d651635a4c406a0df7b527667107a5d0b287e5efc45044e7dea919f1ffe4819a27f7a8c150

THE PRESIDENT at 9:22 a.m.: "The GREAT Billy Graham is dead. There was nobody like him! He will be missed by Christians and all religions. A very special man."

SESSIONS IN THE CROSSHAIRS AGAIN? -- @realDonaldTrump at 9:40 a.m.: "Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administration, right up to January 20th, why aren't they the subject of the investigation? Why didn't Obama do something about the meddling? Why aren't Dem crimes under investigation? Ask Jeff Sessions!" He sent a version of the tweet at 9:03 misspelling the attorney general's name as 'Jeff Session'.

THE LATEST FROM MUELLER'S INVESTIGATION -- " New charges filed in Manafort-Gates case," by Josh Gerstein: "New charges have been filed in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's criminal case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and aide Rick Gates, but the charges were put under seal by the court, obscuring the nature and import of the development.

"The new charging document filed in federal court in Washington could be a superseding indictment, adding new charges or even new defendants to the charges filed last October, accusing Manafort and Gates of money laundering and failing to register as foreign agents for their work related to Ukraine, among other crimes." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a9b385b63f45a9d2cd15caf46950d6aad6f92f84bc6aa1e2c18b5fd73f5cbbc266ff197d8bbaf1df2

DOWN IN FLORIDA -- "Students march on Tallahassee as Florida GOP considers gun limits," by POLITICO Florida's Daniel Ducassi: "Survivors of the Feb. 14 school shooting in suburban Fort Lauderdale descended on Florida's capitol Wednesday as the Republican-majority Legislature -- normally friendly territory for the National Rife Association -- considered whether to advance new limits on gun access.

"The students-turned-lobbyists are scheduled to meet with a long list of Florida's top leaders, including Gov. Rick Scott, state Attorney General Pam Bondi, state Senate President Joe Negron and state House Speaker Richard Corcoran. Organizers say they have 70 meetings planned before the students leave Tallahassee tonight and return to South Florida." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a0571743bc74de5ff18374556d17ce5c3b0dbba5434585f767905483176e37312677072834aa8b071

-- "Trump to meet with students from Stoneman Douglas amid criticism from survivors," by Cristiano Lima http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4aaca144c65a24abdc09ec8ae363815fd30d8177b5d3b1355a8f3db13d1ee6e3b78b90a80b572e3c06

TV TONIGHT -- DANA LOESCH, the spokeswoman for the NRA, will participate in a CNN town hall tonight with students and other community members from last week's shooting in Parkland, Fla. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) all previously said they would participate. CNN's story -- the town hall airs at 9 p.m. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4aee6d74adb84d720b13d8bfb62d7d260fd71387a48d87718bea41cbbc6e34e54df1073f83014ea718

****** A message from PhRMA: Middlemen, like PBMs and insurers, have been shifting more of the costs of your health care to you for years - with deductibles increasing 300% since 2006. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a0dcacca440ecc039e739d79357e474723eb2223e4f5e5a07613123df43e19c1fc27d41f2c24a398c ******

TRUMP'S REPUBLICAN PARTY -- NYT's J-MART: "Trump's Republican Critics Find a Sudden Need for His Support": "Mitt Romney did not vote for Donald J. Trump in 2016. Representative Martha McSally of Arizona may not have, either, but she will not say. And Senator Dean Heller of Nevada now insists that he did cast his ballot for Mr. Trump, but for many months, he would not reveal his vote. Senator Bob Corker supported Mr. Trump, but seemed to regret it last year when he concluded that the country had deposited an unruly toddler in the Oval Office.

"Yet as each of these Republicans pursues a Senate run this year -- or in the case of Mr. Corker, reconsiders one -- they are essentially making peace with a president they once shunned. Their hopes for a détente with Mr. Trump, who effectively staged a hostile takeover of a party he joined only in 2012, reflect the realization that rank-and-file Republicans have come to embrace the president. ... 'To the activists, those who vote consistently in Republican primaries, it's very much Trump's party,' said Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4af4d5dd8546564403377686fcd0a7867cf9fbaaf7093803e13d12fa23f8ff21486d7e3c6cbd5b2a2b

DEPARTMENT OF NOT GONNA HAPPEN -- "Trump privately talks up new age limit on guns," by Axios' Jonathan Swan: "President Trump has told associates that he doesn't think high school kids should be able to buy guns, and is open to the idea of imposing a minimum purchase age of 21 for guns like those used in the Florida high school massacre, a source close to the president said. But, but, but: The source cautioned that the conversations with the president have been relatively loose and open-ended so far. Nothing has been decided, or is close to decided, on the age question." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a4bde61a8b1a7629a9d931b11657e084ff9ef2a15dbb79998e902ae6b84bded63c1808bf7b4ddf1e7

-- As Swan notes, "Trump is ultimately unlikely to do anything dramatic on guns," which likely includes an age restriction. This would also be a massive lift for Congress to pass.

UPDATE ON THE GOP RETREAT TRAIN CRASH -- AP: "NTSB: Truck hit by GOP train was on tracks after warning": "Witnesses to a collision between a train carrying Republican congressmen and a garbage truck in rural Virginia have told investigators the truck entered the railroad crossing after safety gates came down to warn drivers about the approaching train. A preliminary report on the Jan. 31 crash was issued Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The probable cause of the accident hasn't yet been determined." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a667f2141dea39c6da76d08c7d37b72260e8a4e1b1c8af20603ad1e5b9a7ae549e7d41d3ec180a467

HARASSMENT FILES...

-- "How common is sexual misconduct in Hollywood?," by USA Today's Maria Puente and Cara Kelly: "Working in partnership with The Creative Coalition, Women in Film and Television and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, USA TODAY surveyed 843 women who work in the entertainment industry in a variety of roles (producers, actors, writers, directors, editors and others) and asked them about their experiences with sexual misconduct. The results are sobering: Nearly all of the women who responded to the survey (94%) say they have experienced some form of harassment or assault, often by an older individual in a position of power over the accuser."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a88a9361b7e03e3e8d397fee999bb7a20659bed144c65e882cc705007b010382675eea3fef8725cc6

-- "Why Statehouse Interns Are Especially Vulnerable to Sexual Harassment," by Stateline's Jen Fifeld: "In most states, unpaid interns -- in legislatures or other workplaces -- aren't considered to be employees and therefore aren't protected against workplace sexual harassment under the federal Civil Rights Act. Some legislatures have sexual harassment policies that allow nonemployees to file claims to the legislature of sexual harassment against legislative staff and lawmakers, according to a Stateline review of policies from nearly all states. But only a handful of states specifically mention interns, and even when they do, that doesn't necessarily give them legal standing for filing a
civil lawsuit." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a0e0c0bc5d1d1cd13ddbdeb1adf158ae71aa4c8b86a16e0deeb952f57014c58536a068ed21276cb7a

-- " USDA staffer shocks agency with public admission about sex for promotion." by WaPo's Joe Davidson: "At one point during [a program honoring Black History Month at the Department of Agriculture], which employees said was televised to department facilities across the country, [Rosetta] Davis unexpectedly took the stage and alleged to her colleagues in emotional and specific terms how she was sexually harassed on the job. She described how a supervisor, whom she named, offered to give her a promotion to grade GS-13 in exchange for sex." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a17c31545343e125269072b2df1f9e2573aa9b6f944f550ab3a6935ff29613c4585a9fce44950902a

THE NEXT OLYMPICS DELEGATION -- "Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to Attend Olympics Closing Ceremony," by One America News Network's Trey Yingst: "Press Secretary Sarah Sanders will travel to Pyeongchang, South Korea, as part of the U.S. delegation, to attend the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic games, according to multiple White House officials.

"The decision for her to attend the closing ceremony was made weeks ago, according to one White House official. Sanders is scheduled to leave Washington on Thursday and will return following the completion of the Olympic games." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4ad8032c2a0f7923de2aa2e8706ccb7277a287c9886338ded0599c9da57ee090b595dd525d25ae0b79

SPOTTED: Bob Woodward reading Playbook on his iPad on a flight to Miami yesterday.

BOOK WATCH -- AP: "New book by Sen. Bernie Sanders coming in November": "The Vermont independent and 2016 presidential contender is working on a new book. The publisher tells The Associated Press in a Wednesday statement that 'Where We Go From Here' will be released Nov. 13 by Thomas Dunne Books." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a0c66696d8b2a57d78b70b1550889b786dd6e207deb573ed817f0e80db0b99fabae6927cfbad073ac

MEDIAWATCH -- "Vox Media Laying Off Around 50 Staffers," by The Hollywood Reporter's Jeremy Barr: "The cuts, which mainly targeted social video teams, were announced by CEO Jim Bankoff on Wednesday morning. In a memo to staff on Wednesday morning, Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff announced plans to lay off around 50 employees, with the Racked, Curbed, SB Nation, and Video Services teams 'bearing the biggest impact.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4aff8ce4a4c33bc9fbdd19374edb7ab96c30e909c4ecd9ac94a9fee2f278e7a31d97f63f42ab80d213

-- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: CNN laid off senior digital correspondent CHRIS MOODY, digital correspondent Dan Lieberman, senior video producer Ben Werschkul and producer Alex Rosen. This is part of CNN's shedding 45 or so positions in a round of layoffs. CNN declined to comment.

TRANSITIONS -- Robyn Patterson has been named a senior communications adviser for the Ohio Democratic Party, focusing on the gubernatorial race. She was previously communications manager at the Hub Project. ... Alex Macfarlane is starting as communications director for Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) later this week. She was previously press secretary for Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.). ... John Meza has joined the Borderplex Alliance as VP of communications and government affairs. He previously worked at the Raben Group and is a Beto O'Rourke alum.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD - Emily Tisch Sussman, VP for campaigns at the Center for American Progress/CAP Action, and Kevin Craw, a foreign policy adviser for Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Ct.), welcomed Lilah Tisch Craw. Pics http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a959535382f9ffdcf8584ed75657511ef7c7b4f4083e8efec6407defa68724156dfbbfb35bd5f686e ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4ac1c59081320005a9600efe919c6c6bb36e839d0caff7347e2da408212c0967841d229089b70664e4

WEEKEND WEDDING -- Bryan Wells, legislative assistant for Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), recently married Laura Schlapp, special assistant for the U.S. Air Force. Mercedes and Matt Schlapp are Laura's aunt and uncle. The couple met in Sen. Roberts' office, sitting next to each other. Their wedding was in Breckenridge, Colorado with a ceremony at St. Mary's Chapel and a reception at Ember restaurant. Pics http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a9c6840bb13250b5db438babdf08c3386dd791d7d2f1c0d2e1d81de2ec845f95b4f849ddb885d88ab ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a439d26accd74534f073b94a2c06f6a6b2e5f8eb38dd1bad1d181daaaa74323bf6fa3753c938397cb

BONUS BIRTHDAY: former acting Solicitor General Ian Gershengorn (hat tip: Joanne Kenen)

****** A message from PhRMA: While spending on medicines grew just 1.5 percent in 2017, unfortunately it doesn't feel that way for patients. More than one-third of a medicine's list price is often rebated back to middlemen, like insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). These discounts and rebates create savings of more than $100 billion, but insurers don't always share these savings with patients. Patients share the costs. They should share the savings. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be06be93e2945d4a0dcacca440ecc039e739d79357e474723eb2223e4f5e5a07613123df43e19c1fc27d41f2c24a398c ******

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